


Jump in Head First

by Veratmos57



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, M/M, Modern Girl in Middle Earth, Multi, Not Beta Read, Self-Indulgent, Self-Insert, Undetermined pairing, Will add more tags along the way, also, depiction of drowning, it will a meta sometimes, may potentially be graphic because canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-04-13 16:39:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14116518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Veratmos57/pseuds/Veratmos57
Summary: Waking up at the bottom of a freezing lake is not pleasant. Needless to say, Eleanor found that out the hard way. Soon after, she realizes that she was in middle-earth somehow, she was...not thrilled. She did not care for the near constant threat of getting killed on a daily basis. Plus, she needed to figure out what she was even doing there but hey, what else is new.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N This is my first fic. I decided to go with the OC/self-insert route. Just to test the waters. This is mostly my own writing exercise. It for fun but I will make it into something that is readable. *fingers crossed* Also, also, English is not my native language so there will be grammar issues. Please let me know if it sounds awkward or if you find any errors grammar-wise. I tried fixing it before posting but mistakes do happen, so I apologize in advance.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not nor will I ever own anything that seems even remotely familiar in this story except for Eleanor and some other OC that you will probably meet along the way.

All that surrounds her was cold and dark. There was something wrong with that but she can't figure out what. Her body felt as though an unknown force was encapsulating her body and squeezing tightly. She tried to breathe but her lungs burned as if it was on fire. Then, Eleanor opened her eyes dread sinks in; she knew where she was. She was underwater. Deep enough that she could barely see the light of day. She felt the panic start to rise even more and pressed her hands tightly against her mouth and nose.

She inhaled too much water already. She had to stop the instinct to breathe even more. Now, she started to move her feet to propel herself up. It was energy-consuming and she didn’t even have any breath in her. She was terrified but she knew she had to keep swimming up or she'll be 'swimming with the fishes'.

When her eyes registered more light, she risked water inhalation to swim to the surface faster. Her lungs felt like it was shrinking even more now. Her eyes are stinging either from the water or her tears. She’s desperate now but she’s almost there... And then, she broke the surface and took the biggest gulp of air she ever had.

She floats face up to the sky, exhausted. She coughed out some water that was in her lungs. She felt the warm beam of the sun and she was grateful to still be alive. She may have cried a little and she is not ashamed of that. As she continued to hack out some remaining water in her lungs, she heard a shuffling noise. Suddenly there was a loud thud. She was tired but she was in a compromising situation. A sitting duck, so to speak, and weird noises should be inspected. She turned her body so that she is faced with the source of the sound.

“Are you alright there, miss!?”

A man had shouted from the shore(?).

"..." That was the extent of her speaking abilities. She merely gaped at the man like how a fish would. (A lot of aquatic animals references but considering where she was, it was warranted.) 

The reason for her unseemly reaction was because apparently she inexplicably recognized the man on the shore. She was dumbfounded. After having no intelligible respond from her, the man came to a decision.

He mounted a nearby boat, which somehow escaped her notice, and steered it to where she was bobbing up and down the surface of the water. She wasn’t too far from land but she was far too exhausted to even move too far from where she was now. So, she felt immense gratitude towards that man at this point. As the man moves in closer, she was struck by uncanny this man looked like Orlando Bloom during his pirate days.

"Take my hands," said the man as he bends over the boat.

With an exhausted sigh, Eleanor basically just flung her hands in his general direction, hoping Pirate Orlando managed to catch her hands instead. Which he did and he tried to pull her into the boat. Tried, because only half of her managed to get in the boat. He tried again and with a heave, he hauled the rest of Eleanor into his boat, making the boat rock in a teeter side-to-side in a rather precarious way. It wasn't a small boat but it wasn't built for laying down in. There wasn't much space for all her limbs but she just rolled with it.

"Tha-thank y-you," Eleanor said through chattering teeth.

The water didn't seem as cold when she was in it but when the air hit her skin, it was unbearable. The man, dubbed Pirate Orlando, moved around her carefully as to not rock the boat any more than it has already. He was grabbing some old ragged looking cloth that seems to litter the boat and put it around her shoulder. She made a face at him that clearly shows how much this was unappreciated.

"It's clean and, more importantly, dry," he stated, indirectly telling her to dry herself off.

With some reluctance, she did just that. 

"We'll get you somewhere nice and warm. But after that, I really like to know what you were doing in the middle of a freezing lake," he said as he steered the boat to, what looks like, a bunch of houses suspended on water.

"Welcome to Laketown," he said as he kept on rowing.

"..."

_Well, fuck._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More interaction with Bard but it doesn't go the way is expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Hope all y'alls are having a great time. This chapter is a little bit longer than the last. I'm trying my best to create a rapport between Bard and Lenny. I do feel like my formatting is weird. What do you think? Please feel free to give me your feedback or if you find any mistake grammar-wise, let me know, I'd really appreciate it. <3
> 
> PS I took a lot of artistic liberty here. So this will end up being au...who am I kidding, this is an AU.
> 
> 9/12/18 Did some editing mostly on grammar but the flow is a little better I think. Let me know if it's still off.

Eleanor Lowell found herself in a situation that only ever happens in her wildest dreams. In fact, it is a situation that she’s read many, many times in fan-fiction, so she’s definitely not alone in the fantasizing department. She had amazingly, miraculously landed on Middle-earth. Well, 'landed' was inaccurate seeing as there was no land involved in her inter-dimensional travel. 

To be precise, she was transported to Laketown via aquatic means. Not the best water transportation she's ever been on and she's been on quite a lot of those. She contemplates this discovery as she makes herself warm by the fire in Pir- no, in Bard’s living room. 

Bard. _Bard._ She could barely contain herself when he first introduced himself. 

_~  
"Tha-thank you fo-for fishing me o-out of there," Lenny said through clattering teeth._

_"Your welcome," said Pirate Orlando and he continues with, "what's your name?"_

_"M-My name's E-Eleanor Lo-Lowell. But people c-call me L-Le-Lenny," she said and wraps herself tighter around the big ragged clothed._

_"Well met, Lenny. I am called Bard the Bargeman," he said._

_Her breath caught in her chest. Lenny blinks once. Blinks twice. Blinks several more times._

_"I'm s-sorry. Wha-what did you say your n-name w-was?"_

_"Bard," he turns to face her, "My name is Bard."_

_It must've been early morning at the time, which explains why it was still cold as heck, but the sun was shining so brightly. It was like the scene you would see in the movies when the light hits everything just right that it looks as though the heavens were giving a sign._

__

__

_This was that moment. The sunlight shines right behind Bard and the light frames his entire being, as though he was radiating light. Lenny was shaken by the what she saw. There he was. Bard. Or more specifically, Luke Evans portraying Bard.  
~_

Lenny had checked her pulsed several times making sure she's wasn't dead. Whenever Bard turned his back, she pinched herself so hard that she had to bite her lips to keep from yelping. This was unreal. 

‘Bard. This is a dream. This has got to be a freaking dream,’ she thought as she stares incredulously at Bard.

Apparently he took her to his house, which is surprising because she’s always thought he hated having strangers in his home.

‘Or maybe it was because they were dwarves.’ As the thought crossed her mind, she was struck by the realization of how messed up that will be if she's ever get involved in Middle-earth politics. ‘I don't even get involved with _my country's_ politics.’ 

Still, Bard welcomed Lenny into his home and lead her to the fireplace. He immediately went to a different part of the house after getting her settled and making sure the fire was of decent size. 

“Get comfortable. I’ll fix you a cup of tea,” Bard says from what she assumed to be the kitchen. 

“Alright. Thank you...again. You really didn't have too,” said Lenny. 

"Think nothing of it." He gave Lenny a tight smile and that sort of made her wonder. She couldn’t believe how she didn’t recognize Bard. At the very least, she ought to have known what Luke "Freaking" Evans look like. 

She remembers bits of information in the Hobbit-verse. Not a lot, mind you. Just the basic main event thing. But then again, it wasn’t like she was expecting to suddenly appear in the world created by a dude long gone from the living world (I say with respect, of course). 

‘But he looks so much like Pirate Bloom though. It’s freakin’ uncanny.’ 

Lenny heard the pots and pans being moved around in the kitchen. She took the opportunity to look around at the room she’s in. It definitely wasn’t a set. No lights or cameras or any of those fuzzy mic things. It was just a solid room. Like she was really there; like everything was real.

‘But it seriously can’t be. Why would Bard look like his acting counter-part? That doesn’t make any sense.’ Her eyes continued to scan the room. Then she saw something. It was a tiny toy bear. Just there all by it’s lonesome. 

“Must be one of the girls’,” she muttered. Which was part of the movie adaptation because she didn't remember Bard having daughters in the book. Which means that she is most likely in the movie-verse. That explains why he said 'bargeman' instead of 'bowman' and why she seeing his acting counterpart, maybe. Or, another likely conclusion, she has gone batshit crazy.

“Did you say something?” Bard said as he search, still. 

“Oh, uh. You have kids.” It was meant as a statement because it was a fact. There’s no point in feigning ignorance. At least not in this matter. The clues are there after all.

There was an odd silence that fell the room and Lenny had to turn to Bard’s general location. She wasn’t able to see him properly but she was able to get a partial view of his back. It was completely rigid. Now, her friends and family would attest that Lenny is not the most observant person, so the fact that even she noticed just shows how incredibly tense Bard was. Like he was ready to pounce or something.

‘Oh shit. Kids are a no-go. Touchy subject. Shit, okay, damn, shit,’ she panicked and blurted out, "The bear! On the chair. I just...assumed. I’m sorry? If that somehow is - I mean I shouldn'tve mentioned - I - I’ll - I'll shut up now." 

The tense silence was beginning to make her itch. Whatever this situation is, she didn't like it. Where were the orc attacks when you need them? The silence was stretched too long. Lenny didn’t even know why Bard reacting negatively about her mentioning his kids. She was staring at the door, mentally calculating her odds at escaping her possible death.

‘Wait a minute. His kids aren’t here. Please don’t tell me...’ Lenny’s eyes widen in panic, thinking about the worst possible scenario that his kids weren't -

“Sorry. I - you startled me there. I didn’t mean to make you think I’m angry or anything.” 

Lenny just squints her eyes in confusion, as if she's trying to find the logic.

“ _I_ startled _you_? How so?” 

There was a slight shifting sound and then, “I suppose I get a little too protective when it comes to my children,” he sighed. 

‘'A little' is an understatement. I thought you were gonna outright murder me in cold blood.’ She didn’t say that out loud. She liked the idea of not getting skinned by a very capable and dangerous man. Instead, she said, “Understandable. They are your children. Your flesh and blood and all that.” She gave a rather nervous chuckle, mostly for her own benefit.

"Where are they anyway?" 

"They're probably running their daily errands," he said with a shrug. This made Lenny raise her eyebrow.

"Probably? Don't you know what your kids get up to?" Lenny said carefully. He obviously gets touchy on this subject and she needs to tread carefully. But she couldn't help asking.

"I'm not usually home at this hour. There is also this thing," he trailed off.

"...which is?"

"That the whereabouts of my children are none of your business." Bard doesn't even blink when he says this and Lenny just internally scream, 'I just _had_ to ask!'.

"Sorry. It was so quiet...I couldn't help but ask," she said meekly, averting her eyes from Bard's more threatening ones.

She heard him moving closer to her and couldn't stop herself from flinching. She berated herself because she knew intellectually that Bard wasn't the type to just hurt an innocent person for being curious. Well, a bit too curious maybe but still, had this been a complete and total stranger, one that she hadn't known inside and out, one that she's never thought of being in numerous situations and scenarios, it would've been a different story.

In her peripheral, she sees him crouching down next to her. He hands her a cup of, what she assumed to be the tea he was making. She stares at him for a moment trying to gauge his state of mind. When he noticed that, Bard let out a big sigh.

"Sorry for being harsh but I really don't know who you are, " he said.

"No. You're right. I mean, you've done nothing but help me when you didn't really have to. I was being nosy, it's my fault," Lenny said in protest.

"Still, you've been through an ordeal. I shouldn't act so...standoffish," he said and gave Lenny a small smile. Lenny knows that Bard was a solemn man, so she knows that a small smile is a big deal and that he's trying his best to keep her at ease.

"Anyway, here's your tea. It ought to help you get warmer."

"It smells lovely. Thank you."

"You drink up. Keep yourself warm. I need to go and find something."

"Oh. Alright," she said, confused. Not a moment ago he was implying that he didn't trust her because she's a stranger and gonna leave her there alone in his house. On the other hand, Bard can definitely tell that she is terrified of him. Not that she was giving much effort in hiding that fact.

***

And so, Bard once again left her alone to drink her tea and get warm. He didn't say what he was going to do but Lenny wasn't gonna try her luck with asking. Bard may be a good man but he isn't someone to mess around with. As Bard was busy doing whatever, she continued her investigation of the room. The house itself looks small but it seems enough to house Bard and his children. It was a lot bigger than it seems in the movies though, that for sure. 

A glimpse at the dining table reminded her of the time when Kili almost died from the infection caused by really grimy looking orc weapons, which she can't remember for the life of her. That was a disconcerting feeling. Knowing the things that will happen. It's only ever been stories. One that touches people's heart, yes but a story none the less. But now, it won't be just a story anymore. It would've been a real person, dying on that table while his brother stands on the sideline, helpless. It made her sick to her stomach and made a mental note to collect kingsfoil. A lot of kingsfoil. She moved her gaze away from that table and from unpleasant memories and found her eyes were attracted by a stack of books near where the teddy bear was. 

Her interest was piqued. She loves books. She doesn't necessarily read them but she loves how it looks; how feels; how it _smells_. Once in a while, she finds something that was aligned with whatever interest she had at the time but finding _that one book_ is harder than finding her soulmate. Except that she actively tries to find _the book_. With that thought, she made her way to the book stacks. 

She couldn't read them.

She flipped through it. Pages and pages of it and turning it sideways and putting her face closer to it, as if that will help. But she was still unable to read it. It wasn't written in any elvish or dwarvish letters. She would recognize those even if she couldn't read it. Plus, it wouldn't make sense for Bard to have elvish or dwarvish books in his household. 

'This is definitely westros...wait no - that's a different thing. No - yeah it's westron. But why can't I-'

Her train of thought was interrupted by a cough. Her hands jerked and she fumbled with the book in her hands and it ended up dropping on the floor with a 'thud'.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you," Bard said with an amused look.

"Oh no. It's cool - uh it's fine," she said. 

Lenny bend to pick up the fallen book and noticed the bundle Bard was holding. She put the book back on the table it was on before addressing Bard.

"Was that what you were looking for?" She looks curiously at the bundle.

"Yes. I thought you'd want something warmer to change into," he said but there was something about how he said it but heck if she knew what that's all about.

"That's really thoughtful of you. My clothes would've dried out if I stay near the fire long enough, though."

"That may be but I think it would attract too much attention," he said and gesture her to get the bundle, "we were lucky there weren't many people on the way here."

Lenny looks down at herself, wondering what was wrong with her outfit. 

She was wearing her Tigger pajamas. It was designed to mimic the tiger stripes and tiny Tiggers were placed everywhere. 

'This explains the stares he kept giving me. Well, one _more_ reason why.'

"...I see your point." She grabbed the new clothes he found for her and she examines them, "These are pretty. Where'd you get these?"

Bard just stood there a while. Staring, what could be argued as, fondly at the pieces of fabric in Lenny's hands. He gave her a rather sad looking smile.

"It belonged to my wife."

Lenny could only groan internally. The topic of his children was pretty touchy but his wife? That's like 30 levels beyond touchy. She doesn't know how to react to Bard giving his _late_ wife's clothing. She isn't supposed to know what happened to her yet unless he tells her. And she doesn't really want to ask him what happened considering the emotional roller-coaster she'd been through already. 

Knowing things ahead of time is not great. _Ignorant is bliss_ , those words have never been more relatable as it was now. 

'Is this how I'll be spending my time here? Should I even ask about her? Will just a 'thank you' be enough?' All she could do now was try to keep a straight face and act like nothing was amiss. Seeing as his attention was not at her, it made pretending easier.

"Thank you, Bard," Lenny said with a smile, all the while screaming on the insides, 'Dang it to the high heavens!'.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which fashion statements are an obstacle, unpleasant realization occurs and Lenny is still unsure about anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this has been dragging but I keep scratching what I've originally written and rewriting them. There is also the matter of my new job taking too much of my time. It's been a while. I still kept the story going but my brain kept changing the direction of the story, so yeah, sorry about that in advance. I will, however, complete this story even if it takes a while.
> 
> I am still not sure where I want to go in terms of Bard's relationship with Lenny but let me tell you early on, it ain't going to romance route. I plan on them having a somewhat tentative friendship.
> 
> Constructive criticisms are welcome. Please do tell me if there are any mistakes in the grammars and all that jazz.
> 
> PS. Fair warning, I am not used to writing pre-existing characters so there will be OOC abound.

Bard's face was doing all sorts of maneuvers that Lenny didn't even know was possible, especially when his eyebrow barely even moved. How the heck was this guy's so expressive yet so closed off. She knew that his late wife's dress was making him feel, well something. She wasn't sure what. She was never around a lot of people back home. Lenny was not emotionally equipped to handle emotional situations. She’s the type that ignores the pink elephant in the room and learns to live it, even if she has to spend her whole lifetime twisting and contorting her body to avoid said elephant. 

So after thanking Bard for the, very much appreciated, bundle of clothes, and Bard pointing her to where she could change, Lenny quickly left the room, leaving the man to his thoughts. She felt awful, worse than awful, but she was merely a stranger that Bard saved. She wasn’t sure if he’d want anything from her let alone appreciate it. Had they’d started all buddy-buddy, she would probably be brave enough to give him a friendly pat but they’re not. 

***

Upon entering the room, she gave out the biggest sigh of relief. Lenny didn’t think she would be able to handle being in the same room as Bard for more than 10 minutes at a time at this rate. Unfortunately, she couldn’t just leave right after her wardrobe change. After she calmed herself, she finally looked up and took note of the room Bard directed her to. It was a small bathroom.

‘This must be where the company entered through,’ she thought as she stared at the toilet at the far corner of the room. She stared at it. Stared some more. She kept staring at the toilet bowl with her eyebrows pinched together. Her face slowly turned from concentrated confusion to disgusted realization. 

“I digested toilet water....” she said faintly. The moment that phrase left her mouth, she began to dry heave. She quickly flapped her hands to fan her face and squeezed her eyes shut, as if to prevent herself from getting sick. ‘Just don’t think about it. Don’t think about it. No. No. Stop. Brain stop.’ She repeated this over and over in her head as she continued fanning herself and tried to keep her breath calm. 

A moment later, her heart rate slowed down and she vehemently put the shocking revelation at the back of her mind. That was the least of her problem right now anyway. It was a disgusting realization, yes, but not her top priority.

Indeed, her top priority at this current moment was in fact how to put on what looked to be medieval-esque clothing. Not for the first time and definitely not the last, Lenny was faced with some unfamiliar aspect of this world. Although the costume department interpreted the clothing to be similar to what, she assumes the medieval women used to wear, Lenny didn’t know the mechanics of it all. There were like 5 times as many layers as what she normally wears. There were strings - or are they lace? - and lots of fabric. 

_'Is there supposed to be underwear in here? Wait. Why would he even give me his wife's - nevermind,'_ she shakes her head as if to physically dislodge the thought out of her head. 

Yes, she had seen historical documentaries and fantasy-based shows/movie and even in cosplay events but it’s not like she, herself, research how to wear lady’s clothing. Even if she did, this was not the kind of thing that lingers in her mind. She doesn't have some weird palatial mind-scape or whatever the hell that is, to get the details on 15th Century fashion.

She just sort of stared helplessly at the pieces of clothing as she placed them on the bathroom sink. She could ask Bard about it, after all, he has two daughters, but that would be embarrassing. Not to mention weird. It would cast a suspicious light on her that she couldn't afford. Granted the glaring orange of her Tigger PJs was pretty suspicious already, she didn't need any more of it. Besides, she thought of given the man some space to deal with his... _feelings_. 

So, she just sorts of sifting through the clothes in puzzlement. Everything is confusing, and puzzling, and baffling, and was still so early in the day. She knows this because of the morning dew that was lingering on what little plant the town have on their makeshift home.

As she tried to piece together the clothing, her mind was going through so many questions. The top of the list: ‘Why am I here?’. Obviously, she was in Middle-earth during The Hobbit time-line because Bard was here, a few rooms away from her. Which, again, was crazy but that also means that there was a freaking live dragon not too far from where they are. She really didn’t know how to process that yet because on one hand, magic and elves, and wizards and freaking Middle-earth, but on the other, imminent death and destruction and violence and it's not a threat, it’s a promise.

The one thing she's learned in all her 20-something years being alive was that there was always pros and cons to everything. The pro, she knows things that will happen in this world and, when and how they happen. The cons, everything else. It's arguable that she knows everything that will happen in Middle-earth because for the most part, it’s half-remembered events and lore. She doesn’t even know where, or rather when, she is in the Hobbit timeline and even then, it won’t help her much. 

She tries to pick at her own brain, recalling the what, the where and the when. But it's useless. She only vaguely remembers that it was spring when the dwarves - dwarrows? - were in Hobbiton and then it was winter when they arrived in Erebor. Basically, it took them three seasons to get here, approximately nine months. Everything in-between was just lost on her.

Lenny had always imagined what she would do if she somehow ended up in Middle-earth. She's not unique in that aspect. Everybody has thought of that once in a while. A collective of individuals wondering what it would be like to literally be whisk away to a land of magic, quests, and adventures. She had thought out of the different scenarios and situations she would be in and how she would deal with it. In great lengths and details. She even thought of what she would do if she ever met Bard...it did not turn out as well as she thought it would. In fact, now that she was actually here, all that thought have suddenly evaporated. She doesn't have a clue what she was going to do now. She was at a complete loss. 

There was one option. She could tell Bard about everything when they finally get a proper conversation instead of whatever awkward attempt at communication they'd had just recently. That could either end up with him thinking she’s a complete nutcase and throw her back into the lake or she would end up messing up the entire timeline. 

Logically, she knew that the best timeline was the one Tolkien had written. Lenny would be a complete moron to ruin it. But. She knows what happens. She knows. All the death and destruction. All the pain and suffering. The blood and screams. All that needed to happen in order for the One-Ring timeline to go smoothly. That was the end goal after all. But she also knows that she shouldn't, couldn't stand by while the world burns around her.

So where does she go from here?


End file.
